Broken Minds in a Broken City
by RiddledNightmare
Summary: Erisabeth, a Gotham librarian, meets a group of unique individuals who turn her life upside down. Life is never easy in Gotham and they all must go through trials that will shape them into who they will become. Features the children of Riddler/Catwoman, Scarecrow/Harley, and Mad Hatter/Poison Ivy. Warning: Later chapters contain self-harm and intense violence
1. A Tightrope of Weird

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my oc's Erisabeth, Lilith, Rose, Axel, and Isaac**

 **I hope that you all enjoy my story :)**

My name is Erisabeth. I work as a librarian at the Gotham City Public Library. I've been working there for five years now and I love my job. Of course every now and then some thugs break in or the lunatics from Arkham try to blow up the library but otherwise it's a wonderful job. My life was about to become more strange and difficult, however. I will never forget the four children who turned my life upside down nor the ignorance of the others involved.

In a cafe, in downtown Gotham…...

"Erisabeth!", a voiced screeched beside me. Startled, my head shot up from the book that I was reading and as I looked up at my...friend.

"Gahhh! Alice! I told you not to sneak up on me like that!", I shouted in frustration.

"Oh golly, I'm so sorry Eris! I was just so excited!", she said (more like squeaked).

"What is it now?", I replied with clear annoyance.

"Well you know how I was looking for a job? Well I have one now!", she was practically bat-level screeching at me.

"Oh wow. What is this amazing new job?", I said while pretending to be interested.

"I'm the new librarian at the Gotham City Library!", she said.

"Wait, what?!"

After what seemed like hours, I convinced Alice that I needed to be somewhere else where she was not present. I set on my way home in one of the nicer neighborhoods in Gotham. When, I finally reached home, I sat in my favorite sofa, turned my favorite show on, and awaited the dreaded phone-call from my superior. Of course she decided to ring when my show had reached an incredibly sad moment so that just made things worse. She calmly explained that I "wasn't needed at there anymore" and that "they needed fresh faces for the public". I was now out of a job.

I checked every website, newspaper article, and poster that I could find for anything that I could do, but I kept hitting blanks.

"There's has to be something", I said to myself while shuffling through a stack of papers.

Suddenly, my phone rang. It was my friend Becky. She teaches psychology at Gotham City High School.

"Hey, Erisabeth. I knew that you have been out of a job lately because of the whole Alice misunderstanding, so I thought that I would let you know that GCHS is looking for a new librarian for the school library if you're interested", she said.

"What happened to the old librarian?", I asked.

"Well there's been some talk about her…...um…. having a nervous breakdown. Don't worry about it though hehe it was probably just age", she responded.

"Okay then….I guess I could give it a shot"

"Great! I'll be sure put in a good word for you", she said nervously.

I sent in an application to the school, hoping and praying that they would except me. I was slightly skeptical about applying because of Becky's response but in the end, I needed the money.

The next day, I received a call from the school that I had made the cut and that I was to be there on Monday (today was Saturday). I was sent a list of materials needed and my duties. "Okay. I have a day and a half to prepare what I need and learn about the children that I will be counselling during the last period of the day….wait what? Counselling?" I looked at the list again to make sure that I was correct. _Yep that definitely says counselling. Becky, what did you get me into?_ "This is going to be a very interesting year"


	2. Troubled

After a whole weekend of preparation and stress, Monday has finally arrived. I woke up super early to get dressed, eat, and drive to the school. I had to drive all the way across town to get there and it took me an hour to get there with the traffic. I still managed to get there thirty minutes early so I had plenty of time to myself….that is until Becky barged into the library.

"Oh thank goodness you're here! I was afraid that you wouldn't show up!", she said.

"Well yes, this is my new job after all. Why wouldn't I be here?", I replied.

"Wait, no one told you?!", she said in a hushed voice. I shook my head in reply, very confused. "The students that you will be counseling….well um….two of them are the children of criminal lunatics", she said reluctantly.

"Umm what?"

"I was going to tell you but after what happened with the last librarian I was afraid that you wouldn't take the job. Plus you like kids and well…..y'know you're not quite all there either", she rambled.

"Okay first of all, rude. Secondly, what exactly did they do to her?"

"They didn't really do anything. It was a little girl that lives in the same group home as them", she said with a distant look.

"What happened?"

"The bus that takes them to the home only makes one trip, to the high school and back. The little girl and one of the teens little brother walk to the high school to wait on the bus. We let them wait in the library, so that they will be safe. Well, one day the bus was late and the girl, Rose, began to get anxious. The librarian tried to calm her but it was no use. She cried loudly and her body shook and convulsed. When the bus arrived, she still stayed in the library, completely destroyed.", she said.

"That's awful"

"The librarian quit the next day. The only thing that could calm little Rose down was the little boy, Axel. He started singing a songs from "Alice in Wonderland" and dancing on the table", she said and smiled fondly.

"Awww they sound so precious"

"Oh they are. Lilith, however….", she began.

"Handling them shouldn't be that difficult. Thanks for dropping by but I got this. See later later, Mrs. Albright", I said as Becky left to go to her classroom.

The day went by rather quickly. I spent most of my time reading and, not very often, checking out books. As the last hour of the day rolled around, I began to feel anxious. Soon teens began to enter the library and I took roll as they entered. The tardy bell rang and I noticed that two students out of the 8 students that I was supposed to have, were missing: Isaac Nygma and Lilith Crane. Had these been any other students I wouldn't have thought anything of it, but something felt…..wrong. I gave the students a piece of paper and told them to write about themselves. I sat in my chair and was waiting for everyone to finish when I heard a loud bang from outside, in the hallway. I excused myself and left to investigate. Just outside the door, a large student was holding another student against a locker, whose nose was bloody.

"So, nerd, why were you flirting with my girlfriend?!", the brute said.

"Nerd? Really? You couldn't think of anything more clever?", said the other student. I surmised that this must be Isaac.

"Shut up dweeb!" The brute began to raise his fist.

"I wasn't even flirting with your girlfriend…...much. I was just doing her homework!"

Before the brute could lay a hand the other student, I intervened.

"Hey kid! Get to class and don't you ever let me catch you doing that again. Understood?"

The brute looked at me in annoyance before dropping Isaac and walking away with a huff. Isaac looked at me with thankfulness.

"You must be Isaac", I said.

"Yes ma'am and you must be the new librarian. Thanks for saving my hide however, I believe I'm supposed to be in the library about now", he replied.

"Yes and so should another missing student that I have yet to find. Do you know where Lilith is?", I asked.

"I saw her just as Don began to beat me up. She just looked at me, rolled her eyes, and then walked away. I think she was heading for the cafeteria. She doesn't really dig the whole 'counseling' thing", he said.

"Okay then. She must not like you very much"

"Actually she's my best friend"

"Oh. Well you go and join the others and I'll go get Lilith"

"Yes ma'am!"

I started down the hallway to the cafeteria, noticing that motivational posters lay, ripped from the walls, on the floor. I entered the cafeteria, which was dimly lit and saw Lilith sitting upside down in one of the chairs, reading a book about…...death. Without glancing away from the pages she spoke:

"I'm not going. I don't want to sit in a library for forty-five minutes and listen to a bunch of hoods talk about their feelings. I'm already taking psychology class" I thought for a moment about what to say to this sassy child.

"You don't have to participate or listen if you don't want to, but you have to be in the library. You can read the whole time if you want", I responded.

"Fine I'll go", she said as she flipped out of the chair with ease.

"Great. Come along then. We've missed 15 minutes of class already"

Me and Lilith walked back to the library where, upon approaching the door, loud screaming and shouting could be heard. I entered the room and saw that all of the other students had pinned Isaac to the floor and taking turns punching him in the face. They turned and saw me before going back to what they were doing. Their movements stilled, however, when they saw Lilith enter. They immediately lept from Isaac and returned to their seats with their eyes downcast. I looked at Lilith in shocked and saw her grinning

"You know what? I think I might enjoy this after all"


	3. Strange Case

**This chapter is written in Lilith's POV for story-telling purposes. Happy reading everyone! :)**

* * *

I stood at the entrance of the library, grinning as the librarian stood in shock. Isaac was still in the floor, trying to pick up his glasses and recuperate from the senseless beating that he just went through. I'm not and never will be sentimental but, in a moment of pity, I decided to help him up off of the floor.

"Thanks Lilith"

"Don't mention it"

The librarian handed me and Isaac a piece of paper and told us that we were supposed to write about ourselves. 'This should be easy for Isaac to do since he is his own favorite subject', I thought. I took a moment to observe the librarian, her clothes, and her demeanor. She seemed like a suitable individual for the job, this Ms. Woods.

I looked back to the paper that I received. I decided to write about my parents and the group home instead of writing what my favorite color is, what I like to do for fun, and ect. By the time that I had finished the third paragraph, everyone else had already finished. I continued to write as Ms. Woods walked over to me.

"Lilith, you do realize that you don't have to write an essay, right?", she said.

"Yes that's why I did it", I said as I pointed at the clock.

I knew that an essay would take longer to write and thus she would have to wait for me to finish before everyone started reading what they had wrote. Of course my writing took long enough that now it was 5 minutes until the bell would ring. With the time that I had left, I finished the final paragraph and handed it to Ms. Woods. The bell rang loudly and the delinquents tumbled out of the library, leaving me and Isaac behind. Ms. Woods looked at us both, as if trying to figure something out.

"So I guess I'll be staying here to watch you and the other kids that ride the group home bus, correct?", she asked.

"Yes ma'am. You must be honored to get to spend more time with us", Isaac said.

"You two _have_ been the most interesting part of my day so yes I'd say that I am"

Ms. Woods went back to sitting in her chair. She was reading a book titled "The Phantom of the Opera", which was one of my personal favorites. 'I'm starting to like this lady more and more', I thought as I sulked off to my respective corner of the library to indulge in some classic literature. After a while, I spotted my little brother and Rose from outside the window. 'If she can handle them then she will truly be worthy of my respect'.

Rose and Axel entered the library with loud enthusiasm, giggling and dancing all the while. As soon as Axel saw me, he bounded towards me and tackled me with a hug. His fierce hug had folded and squished the pages of the book that I was reading, but I found myself not caring as I looked at his joyful face.

"Lily! Lily! Lily! I missed you soooo much!", he squealed gleefully.

"You saw me this morning"

"I know", he giggled.

Axel released me from his hug and rushed to give Isaac a hug. I looked over at Rose who just stood, staring at Ms. Woods. She eventually raised her hand to tap the bell on her desk, causing Ms. Woods to look up from her book.

"Who are you?", Rose asked timidly.

Something flashed in Ms. Woods eyes, something odd that can't easily be explained. She blinked a few times before answering.

"I'm Ms. Woods. I'm the new librarian", she said hesitantly. Her voice had grown softer and higher in pitch, I noticed.

"I love books. My daddy gave me my first book when I was little"

"Really? What book is that?", she said while smiling softly.

"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Dr. Lee says that I shouldn't read it but it reminds me of my mommy and daddy so I read it anyway. I just know that we'll get to be a family again some day"

"Don't ever let go of that thought and don't let anyone tell you otherwise"

"I won't I , I made this in art class. Someone as lovely as you deserves a flower" Rose handed Ms. Woods a paper flower that was painted in various colors.

"Why thank you so much. I'll keep it forever"

Rose beamed at the librarian with her cheshire-like grin before skipping off.

Meanwhile Isaac was trying and failing to teach Axel how to solve a rubix cube…..wait what.

"Isaac what are you doing? He's six years old you're just gonna give him a headache", I said with annoyance.

"Hey my dad started me out young on puzzle solving", he retorted.

"Yeah and look how you turned out"

"Exactly", he said victoriously.

I faced-palmed in lack of hope for humanity. Axel just looked at me, pleading with his eyes for me to save him. I looked around for a solution and spotted the bus outside the window.

"Hey Isaac Newton, the bus is here", I said.

" It's _Nygma_ "

"Whatever. It's time to go. Come on Rose" I picked up mine and Axel's backpacks and started for the door.

"Bye Ms. Woods! It was nice meeting you!", Rose yelled as she walked out the door. Ms. Woods waved with a bright smile on her face.

The other two walked out the door and I made to follow them. As we walked past the window of the library, I noticed something that made me stop: Ms. Woods was crying.


	4. Flight

**Isaac's POV:**

I continued to walk towards the door with Rose and Axel behind me. When I noticed the Lilith wasn't with us, I turned and saw her staring into the window of the library.

"Lil, what are you doing?", I asked.

"Come over here and look at this", she responded

"Umm ok"

I went over to where she was standing and looked into the window. The librarian/counselor was crying while clutching a picture to her chest. It had seemed that her personality had made a total switch.

"I don't get it. What's so important about a crying librarian?"

"I just have a feeling that something isn't right about this lady"

"You're just being paranoid Lil"

"Both my parents were psychologists. I think I'm better at reading people than you"

"Okay okay fine. Whatever plan you're about to conjure up can wait, though. The bus is leaving"

"Ugh fine. Come on Newton let's get on the bus"

"It's _Nygma!"_

We rushed to the bus as it started to pull out of the school. Axel and Rose were waiting in their seats that they saved for us. On the way there, I did the homework of five other students and my own. Lilith was busy reading to Axel from a collection of Edgar Allen Poe stories. How that child isn't traumatized yet, I'll never know. Rose sat beside me. She was quiet the whole time, except for when we passed the city library. "I don't like the new librarian, she's mean and yells at me", she said. Rose doesn't know about what happened to make Alice dislike her so strongly and she never will. Me and Lilith try to protect her from those type of things. All we can really do is protect each other. We only have each other.

I saw the group home getting closer and closer until the bus came to a stop. The building was brown and dreary. The kids inside are dreary too. All of them waiting for happiness and a family. Some of them get a family and some don't. Us four fall into the latter category. Rose refuses to have any family but her own blood, Lilith and Axel won't leave each other, and I am too annoying for anyone to handle.

We entered the home and went to our respective rooms. I set my backpack down and sat at my desk. On my desk I had a picture of my dad and his friends…..in the middle of a robbery. It was taken the night him and my mom fell for eachother. Quite literally, as they ended up falling out of a window, wrapped in cable.

Suddenly, Lilith burst into the room. She grabbed my laptop and sat on my bed without even explaining what she was doing.

"Lilith, what the heck?!"

"Oh sorry. Can I borrow your laptop? If not, too bad, I'm using it anyway"

"What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm looking this chick up. I told you, something's not right"

"Okay then at least let me help. I can hack into her social media account and see if I can find something"

I sat beside her and grabbed the laptop.

"While you do that, I'm going to get some food", Lilith said as she left my room.

I logged into the computer and got to work. It took thirty minutes to hack into the account but I managed to do it. There wasn't really anything incriminating on her account but I did rummage about and found her address. 'Maybe if we go and check out her house we can find something and put Lilith's paranoia to rest', I thought. I planned to tell Lilith this when I saw her next.

Lilith came back about two hours later, carry a to-go box of chinese food. She handed me the box and sat down beside me. 'She smells nice…...wait what? Why did I just think that?!', I thought. She did in fact smell nice but I had no idea why that was important. What was important was telling her about what I found out.

"Thanks for dinner. I didn't find much but I did find out where she lives. I was thinking that maybe if we go and check out her house, we might find something"

"That's a good idea. Let's go"

"Right now?"

"Um yes? What better time than the present?"

"I kinda wanted to eat this", I gestured to the food in my hands.

"You can eat it on the way. We have a house to break into"

We snuck out of the room and down the stairs, careful not to wake anyone up. Then we walked out the door and were on our way. From there, we found a taxi and asked it to take us to Ms. Woods house (Taxi drivers in Gotham don't ask questions). We arrived at a small lavender house with a red porch. The lights were still on and the outline of a person could be seen through the window before the figure walked out of sight. We went around to the back of the house and crept to the backdoor. I pulled out a multitool that my mom gave me for my 12th birthday. I used the lockpick to unlock the door and we entered the house.

It was quiet inside the house. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of running water. Once in the kitchen, Lilith walked over to the fridge and began reading some notes that were left there. I investigated the counter and found prescription medication along with some letters from a therapist concerning her mental health.

"Hey Lil, your parents were psychologists. What do you think this medication is for?"

She walked over, grabbed the pill bottle, and read the label. "This medication is commonly used to treat depression but I don't think our librarian is depressed. Maybe one of her _friends_ are"

"Lil, what are you talking about?"

"These notes aren't normal. Why would someone leave notes for someone in their house and not text them? Why does this Jesabelle lady live in this house if Ms. Woods wants her gone? I think I know what's wrong with _Erisabeth_ Woods"

"What?"

Before she could answer a loud clang was heard and then a sprint of footsteps. Then Ms. Woods entered the room, looking at us with shock and fear.


	5. Divide

**Still Isaac's POV:**

Ms. Woods or rather Erisabeth Woods stood in the entryway of the kitchen. She spared a glance at both of us, eyes darting wildly, before speaking.

"What are you two doing here?", she asked.

"We saw you crying in the library and I knew that something was up so we came here to find out. I know your little secret and honestly I'm a little disappointed. I was expecting much worse", Lilith said.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about. It's really late, you should go home"

"Neither do I. Lil, I am really confused", I spoke out.

"You can be so dense sometimes. It's plain as can be that this librarian has DID. The person we're talking to isn't even Ms. Woods. Is it?", she looked expectantly at the librarian in the doorway, who looked even more shocked. She let out a sigh and answered:

"No I'm not Erisabeth. My name is Gigi and yes that is my medicine"

"Wow. I did not see that coming", I said.

 **Gigi's POV:**

Isaac looked at me in awe while Lilith looked at me with a respective and contemplative glance. Not many people know about me and Jesabelle. I was concerned that if this knowledge reached the teaching staff and the superintendent then Erisabeth might lose her job. Usually when things like this happen it's because of Jesabelle, who I know is good at heart, but this time it would be _my_ fault. I don't know what I'd do if that happened.

"You have to promise me that this will stay between us", I said.

"Yeah of course. I understand that people can be unfair and if word were to get out...well it wouldn't be good", Lilith said.

"Thank you. You might not admit it, but you are a lovely person"

Lilith looked surprised and slightly uncomfortable. It seems she isn't used to complements. Isaac started laughing.

"Lilith? Lovely? You have got to be joking", he cackled and wheezed while Lilith fixed a glare on him. It took a punch in the arm to quiet him. I couldn't help but giggle at the scene.

"Would you two like some cookies? I know that October has come and gone but I still have some Halloween cookies left and I'm not really much of a sweets person"

I brought out the cookie tray and let both of them take three each. Lilith looked at them and smiled. It was a genuine smile, much like the kind of smile that you would see from a little kid. Those are my favorite kind of smiles.

"You two should probably get going. It's awfully late and I wouldn't want you to get into trouble"

Cookies in hand they walked to the door and Isaac thanked me for the cookies. Lilith didn't need to thank me because I saw the gratitude on her face, not just for the cookies, but for the memories that they reminded her of.

As they were about to walk out the door, Lilith turned and asked:

"Why _were_ you crying today?"

"Rose reminds me of Erisabeth's sister, Abby. She…...,..we lost her, that's all I can say"

Lilith nodded in understanding and the two of them walked out of the door. I let out a long sigh, as if I had been holding my breath. 'I rather like those kids', I thought.

I went back to the bathroom to continue what I was doing before I heard the two teens in my kitchen. I rolled up my sleeves to reveal my wrists and the still bleeding scars that they bared. I had already gotten out the first aid kit before they arrived, so I took out some bandages. I slowly and carefully wrapped the bandages around both my wrists. I know that I shouldn't do this to myself and I know that it isn't just myself that I'm hurting, but the physical pain makes my emotional pain go away. 'I'll have to apologize to Erisabeth. I hope that she won't be too upset at me', I thought. I grabbed a post-it note, wrote my apology, and put it on the fridge. My headed started to feel fuzzy and I knew that it wouldn't be long before Erisabeth took over. I sat on the sofa, grabbed one of her favorite books, and waited. Next thing I know, I'm back in the inner-world with my small apartment that I share with Jesabelle and my tiny dog. I looked around and noticed something worrying: Jesabelle wasn't there.


	6. Frumious

**Jesabelle's POV:**

I was in the outside world with a book in my hands. I felt a stinging pain in my wrists and realized that Gigi must have gotten upset again. Gigi is one of the sweetest people that I've ever met, but I wish she would take better care of the body that we share. I went to the mirror in the bathroom and examined my appearance. The person in the mirror wasn't me, it didn't look like. Erisabeth's face stared back at me with her dark hair and glasses. I took the glasses off and took down my hair from the ponytail that it was in. Then, I opened a drawer and pulled out a bottle of temporary hair dye. Erisabeth hates when I dye our hair. She doesn't understand what it's like to be trapped in a body that isn't yours. I dyed my hair the blonde color that it should be and then dried it.

I went into the kitchen to look for my bottle of whiskey, but it was gone. 'Erisabeth must have thrown it out', I thought. So, I changed into my usual attire of black clothing with a fur coat and walked out the door.

I drove to the nearest bar for a drink. There wasn't very many people there, which was good. I sat on one of the stools and asked the bartender for a bottle of whiskey. He came back with the bottle and sat it down in front of me. Within 20 minutes, I downed half of the bottle.

A familiar face walked through the door, Dr. Darcel, my therapist. I had been doing everything I can to avoid talking to her. She acts like she knows us and our problems but she doesn't understand anything. I knew that if she saw me here, I wouldn't be able to dodge a confrontation. I quickly snuck out the back door and into the alley. Getting mugged and shot would be better than talking to her.

It was getting late and I was getting tired, so I layed on a pile of boxes and used my large coat as a blanket. As I started to drift to sleep, I hoped that when I woke up I would still be here.

 **Rose's POV:**

I jolted awake as my alarm clock rang. It was 6:30 and I had to get ready for school. I picked out one of my favorite dresses: a green dress with white flowers all over it. Afterwards, I brushed my short curly hair until it was properly groomed and put a matching flower clip in my hair. When I was finished, I darted downstairs for breakfast. Lilith and Isaac were already there but Axel wasn't.

"Where's Axel?", I asked.

"He's not feeling good today, Rose", Lilith said.

"Oh. Well I hope that he gets better"

"Me too", she said, looking melancholy.

I sat at the table and ate today's breakfast of French toast. I looked around the large table and observed the faces around me. Everyone always looked so sad. I'm not sad because I know that my Mommy and Daddy love me and that we'll be together again one day. I guess they don't know that.

The aura of the room became even more somber when Mr. Gobsby walked into the kitchen. He hates us, I know he does. He always calls us names and threatens us. Everyone is afraid of him, except for Lilith. He hates her most of all because she always stands up to him.

He slammed his hands on the table and glared at each of us. "Which one of you brats snuck out last night?!"

His eyes snapped over to Isaac and Lilith. "Was it you two? You insolent swine are always causing trouble"

"I assure you sir, we were in our beds asleep all night", Isaac spoke.

"Don't lie to me! I know it was you two! I just wanted a confession before I reveal your punishment"

"Fine, we did it. Now what are you going to do?", said Lilith.

"Oh I think you mean what I've already done. You see, when I saw that you had left, I took upon myself to administer a light poison to your little brother. I thought it fitting since you don't seem to care what happens to yourselves"

"You did what?", Lilith said with a shaky voice.

"Don't worry. The little brat will only have a stomach bug. He should be better by tomorrow. Hopefully this will teach you to obey the rules"

He stormed off without giving them a chance to answer. Lilith was shaking with anger and Isaac was trying to calm her down.

I left the table and went to check on Axel in his and Lilith's room. He was still laying in bed, looking as pale as a ghost. I placed my hand on his head and then kissed his warm forehead.

"Don't worry little knave we will get out of here one day"

I grabbed my backpack and walked outside to where the bus was waiting. Lilith and Isaac were already on the bus, sitting together, so I hopped on and sat in the seat across from them. As the bus took us to the highschool, I looked out at the dank city. It was polluted, dirty, and in much need of some plant life. Every now and then I would see some poor soul getting mugged or beat up. It's a piece of trash but it's home.

We arrived at the school and as Lilith and Isaac walked into the building, I started walking to the elementary school. It's not a very far walk but I have to pass some pretty nasty places on the way there. I was walking past the pub when I saw something curious. A body curled up in an alley behind a pub. This is the part where any sane individual would just keep walking. I'm not a sane individual according to anyone that you would ask. I used this as excuse to go and investigate.

It was a woman with blonde hair who looked rather familiar to me. She began to stir and when she woke, began to look around. "Oh thank God. I'm still here", she said, smiling. She looked up at me then and jolted as if frightened. I too was shocked as I saw the face of Ms. Woods look back at me.

"Ms. Woods? Is that you?"

"Umm yes..I mean sorta….I mean no not really kid"

"I'm confused. How can you be her and not her at the same time?"

"If I told you, you would think I'm crazy"

"I'm okay with crazy"

"Alright kid. My name is Jesabelle. Me and this chick named Gigi live in Erisabeth's head and sometimes we come out here. We all share one body but we're different people. Does that make sense?"

"Yes"

"Really you do?", she said surprised.

"Look who you're talking to"

"Good point kid"

She looked at the watch on her wrist and then back at me. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Oh no you're right! I'm running late! Gosh now I know how the white rabbit feels"

"I have no idea what that means but since I'm a good person I'll give you a ride"

"You will?"

"Sure. Us crazy people got to stick together right?"

"Right!"

She got up and headed to the car and I followed in toe. Then, I hopped into the car (like a rabbit or hare would do). I'm glad to have made a new friend today. I don't have many friends at my school, none actually.

Sure enough we arrived at the school in no time at all. I got out of the car and started walking to the door. "Thank you Jessy!", I yelled.

"Jessy?"

"I give all my friends nicknames"

"Alright well your welcome Rose. Have a nice day at school!"

Hearing those words made me happy. It felt naturally and homey. I wish someone was here to drop me off at school and wish me luck everyday. That's what parents do though and both of mine are absent from my life.

I walked into the doors of the school with a smile on my face. I was ready to start a good day. I wouldn't let anything ruin my perfect day.


	7. Red

**Still Rose's POV:**

I walked into the school, filled with joy. The bell rang as soon as I walked through the doors so I had to run to get to my class. I was late to class despite my best efforts and the teacher gave me a dirty look before gesturing for me to sit down at my desk. My desk was prettily decorated with paper flowers taped to it and a colorful name tag. The two girls who sat in front of me always picked on me and made it their job to humiliate me at any chance.

Today was the day of try-outs for the school play. This year we were doing "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". I just had to be in this play. It's like it was meant to be.

Lost in my daydreaming, I didn't realise that the teacher had asked me a question until she yelled from across the room.

"Rosaline Tetch!"

"Oh I'm sorry Mrs. Dodgeson"

"Maybe you should practice paying attention instead of being off in your own world"

"Yes ma'am"

"Now I asked you if you planned on trying out for the play"

"Yes of course"

I pulled a permission form out of my backpack and gave it to the teacher.

"Everything seems to be in order then"

She gathered the rest of the permission forms from the other students who had them and returned to the front of the class.

"Alright everyone, I want you to line up at the door. It's time to head to the auditorium for auditions"

We did as we were told and lined up neatly save for the two girls I mentioned who stood side by side behind me, snickering. They continued to giggle and chortle all the way to the auditorium.

I was going to be auditioning as a playing card and unfortunately so would they. The teacher called each student to perform a scene for their character one by one. Before it was my turn the girls came up to me.

"Hey Rose, I was thinking that since we are all being playing cards we could audition together", one girl said.

"That sounds like a lovely idea"

"I was hoping you would say that", said the other.

It was odd for them to act so civil towards me and I was a bit suspicious but I ignored the feeling. 'I'm not gonna let anything ruin my perfect day'

We all walked up the stage and started saying our lines. When it was Alice line we were silent and one of the girls went off-stage and came back with a bucket of red paint. I felt an awful feeling in my gut when they both started singing and walking over to me, breaking out of character:

"We're painting the roses red

Painting the roses red

Don't tell the queen what you have seen or say that's what we said

We're painting the roses red

Painting the roses red"

While singing the last line she dumped the bucket of red paint on my head. It went all over my dress and turned my hair from blonde to red. I stood in shock and started shaking. The teacher yelled at the girls and directed them to go to the office. Tears started pouring from my eyes. I couldn't hear what was going on my mind was foggy and unclear. My vision started to blur and the last thing I saw was the teacher's blurry figure running toward me before I lost consciousness.

 **Erisabeth's POV:**

I was halfway to the school when I came back, car pulled to the side of the road. I checked myself in the rear-view mirror and saw that my hair was blonde and down out of it's normal ponytail. There wasn't anything I could do about it so I just pulled it back and put my glasses back on. I always kept an extra change of clothes in the trunk for situations like this, so I decided to change when I got to the school.

When I got to the school, I was 3 hours late. I went into the bathroom to change. I had thought that I was the only one in there until I started walking back out of the bathroom and heard a voice from one of the stalls:

"What do you mean she passed out? What happened?!"

"Lilith? Aren't you supposed to be in class?", I asked.

LIlith walked out of the stall with a phone in hand and a face full of anger.

"I just can't go back to class. Something happened to Rose at school"

"Who's on the other end of the phone?"

"Her teacher. She was smart enough not to call our "guardian". She's seen enough bruises and tears to know that it would be useless"

I was a bit taken aback by that remark. It turned my thoughts to a dark part of my memory. I had to shake myself to clear away those thoughts.

"Lilith, go to class. I'll go to the school"

"You'd really do that?"

"Yes. You may not realise it Lilith but you're a lot like me"

With that I left the bathroom, gathered up my things, and left again. I made sure to let Becky know where I was going and to fill in for me before I left.

I drove there as fast as I could to the elementary school. When I got there, I checked into the office and went to the nurses office. Sure enough there she was, unconscious on one of the beds, covered in paint. The image was startling. 'She looks so much like…...no I can't do this to myself, not now', I thought.

I asked the teacher and the nurse what happened and they explained the incident. They also explained that when they were making sure that she was okay, they encountered something strange:

"I was checking her for a fever and so I placed my hand on her forehead. I felt a pain in my hand when I did this and when I pulled away I had several small punctures in my hand. It was as if I had been stabbed with thorns or needles", said the nurse.

I then repeated the actions of the nurse and felt the same sensation and saw the blood leak from miniscule wounds. I looked at her closer and saw that the nurse had been right to use the word "thorns", because Rose did in fact have thorns growing out of her skin. They were very small and hardly visible, but they were there. Suddenly, they started to sink back into her skin as she stirred awake. Her green eyes opened and and she slowly sat up. She looked at me and smiled.

"Hello, Ms. Woods", she said.

"Hi, Rose. I came here to make sure that you were okay. Lilith was very worried about you and I was worried about you too"

"I'm okay. Just hurting a little inside"

"Those girls were awfully mean to you, doing something like that. You shouldn't let them get to you. You are an amazing young lady"

"I know. I just don't understand why they hate me so much"

"They don't hate you. How could anyone hate you? You are just special and they're jealous"

"Is Jesabelle special? Is that why you don't like her?"

"How do you even- nevermind. You met her didn't you? She's always seemed to brought me trouble but I guess, now that I think about it, I've brought her a lot of trouble too. I shouldn't have given up on her. I'm done giving up on people. I'm won't give up on you"

Rose looked up at me in surprise and happiness. I smiled at her and lifted her onto her feet.

"Let's get you back to the home and cleaned up, okay?"

"That would be lovely"

I gathered up her backpack and held out my hand for her to take. Together we walked hand in hand down the hallway, out the door, and to the awaiting car.

'I won't give up on any of you'


	8. Vorpal

**Still Erisabeth's POV:**

 ****We got in the car and rode to the home. The large building loomed over us like a giant. I felt dread set in my stomach and an ominous feeling spread throughout me.

"Do I have to go in there?"

"Yes, Rose. You can't very well go to my house. I'll be right here"

Rose smiled nervously and we started toward the door. We didn't get very far before the door slammed open.

"What the devil is all this about then? Why are you here early and why are you covered in paint!?", a man with dark hair and a mean disposition said. 'This must be their "guardian'. I thought back to Lilith's words earlier today referencing his abusive behavior.

"That would be a result of some good for nothing kids playing a cruel joke on her. I don't need a good for nothing _adult_ getting in my way of helping her"

"How dare you! I happen to be her legal guardian until she has suitable foster parents to take care of her! Her well being is none of your concern"

"Don't try to intimidate me sir. I've been around your kind before. Nothing you say will keep me from making sure that this young girl is safe"

His anger had started to boil over. I could see the veins on his forehead protrude. With a growl, he reached and snatched Rose's wrist in a tight grip, one that would probably leave a nasty bruise. Her eyes widened and she looked at me in fear. She started shaking and crying.

"I'll see to it that she's taken care of. Now leave, before I call the police. Out of us two, you know that they will believe me considering your…..circumstance"

"How do you know about that?"

"I know about a lot of things Erisabeth. About your sister, your parents…..the fire"

"Shut up"

A rustling was heard followed by a shush. He looked over toward a bush to our left.

"Ah, it would seem that we have an audience. Come on out you two"

Lilith and Isaac emerged from the bushes. I saw Lilith glance at Rose with an unfamiliar emotion on her face. Lilith was scared.

"Should I tell them? I was there, you know, when the fire burnt down our foster home. I was but a child just like you…...no not like you. You were different. Your parents had been rather cruel hadn't they? And then what happened to poor little Abby"

"Don't you dare say her name!"

"I'm on your side here. You do know who was responsible for that tragedy don't you? It was one of those freaks. Here you are defending one of their spawn"

"Bad blood doesn't run in everyone's veins nor is it genetic"

"It is a learned trait. You don't know what they could grow up to become"

"Neither do you, Michael. I have faith in them. They're good kids….most of the time"

With his free hand he reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun. He pointed the gun at Lilith and shot her a glare.

"A infection like this must be exterminated completely. I think I'll start with the you"

There was a pull of the trigger and the sound of the bullet flying. His hand must and loosened around Rose's wrist because as the bullet soared toward Lilith, Rose jerked out of his grip and darted in front of her.

"Rose!", everyone screamed. She was hit.

We all rushed toward her while Gobsby smiled in satisfaction. Blood leaked from her stomach and she was breathing heavy.

"Rose why did you do that? You can be so dense sometimes. Don't you remember you have to live to see your family again?", Lilith said.

"You are my family", Rose said.

Isaac pulled out his phone and dialed 911. When Gobsby heard the voice on the phone he pointed the gun at Isaac.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you", a deep mysterious voice said.

We all turned to see Batman on the roof of the group home. He jumped from the roof and tackled the aggressive man, then put him in handcuffs.

"Don't worry. I've already contacted the paramedics. They should be here soon"

He went over to Rose and took some bandages from one of the many compartments on his belt. Gently, he wrapped her stomach to control the bleeding.

"Thanks. I didn't expect to be saved by you of all people", said Isaac.

"I didn't expect to be saving you"

Another figure landed on the roof with a somersault. It was Nightwing.

"Dang, you got here first. Here I was hoping to get some action in before you got here"

"What took you so long?", the bat said jokingly.

"I got caught up with some lunatics hijacking a car"

Batman looked at us and then back to Nightwing.

"Are they at the asylum yet?"

"No. I can direct the cop cars this way if you want"

"That would be great"

Nightwing set to it and bounded across the roofs. Batman turned to the kids and gave them a knowing smile. Lilith's eyes widened and she rushed inside the home. She came back later, carrying her little brother.

"Axel we're going to see our parents"

"Really? Yay!"

A while later the police cars showed up. The officers kept on their guard as they directed the inmates out of the vehicles. They looked around in confusion before their eyes landed on the kids on the front lawn.

"Lilith! Axel!", Harley shouted and ran towards her kids. She hugged them tightly. "I missed you both so much"

"Rose? My poor baby are you okay?", Poison Ivy asked her daughter.

"I got paint dumped on me and shot in the stomach but otherwise I'm fine. I'm tough just like you"

One by one, parent reunited with child. Looking at the heart-touching scene before me, a sudden thought occured to me: 'Where would they go?'. They had no guardian to look after them now. They might be sent to another city in another state. The thought didn't sit well with me.

Batman walked up to me and grabbed my shoulder. "You know these kids will need someone to look after them now that he's gone", he said seeming to read my mind. "It might take awhile for the system to find someone to replace him. You obviously care about these kids. Have you ever thought about being a foster parent?"

Shocked I answered: "No I can't say that I have"

He gave smiled at me before turning back to look at the families which had been reunited. I gave them all one last look before walking to my car. When I opened the car door, I heard Lilith shout at me:

"Where do you think you're going lady? You have some counseling to do"

I smiled, turned around, and walked back to where she was.

"I heard what you and the bat were talking about. I can't say anything for Rose or Isaac but you can count me in. Don't get sentimental on me"

"No promises"

"I'm in too!", said Rose from the ground.

"I'm afraid to say that I'm out. I already have a foster parent who chose me. He's a rich guy maybe you know him", said Isaac.

"Who is it?"

"Bruce Wayne"

"Sounds like a pretty cool guy", said Batman.

"I know right. He's almost as cool as you…..I mean nothing"

His parents looked at him a bit distastefully but were still happy for him. We all laughed.

The paramedics finally got there and Rose was taken to the hospital. It was then that the police decided to take the inmates back to the asylum and after some heartfelt goodbyes, went on their way. It was quiet again and after some time Batman approached me again.

"You can head home. I'll take care of them"

I did as he said and left after saying goodbye to the kids. I drove the long way to my house so that I would have time to think. When I did get home, I relaxed and got on my computer. I filled out the application to be a foster parent. I made sure to include all of my history so that they would know that I was a suitable option.

A few days later I got a letter saying that my application was accepted and that I would need to come by their office and sign the appropriate documents. 'These kids will have the chance that I never got to have. They will get to grow up with someone kind and not have anymore pain in their lives'


	9. Bat

**1 Month Later…**

 **Isaac's POV:**

It's a Monday morning, a whole month after the incident. Life has been going pretty well for me. I'm living in a mansion with a billionaire and now people are a lot less keen on beating me up. Rose is fully recovered and enjoying school more too. After Jesabelle showed up to the school one day threatening to hang those girls by their toes, they stopped picking on her.

Me and Lilith always look forward to our last hour of the day. We like hanging out with Erisabeth and sometimes Gigi when she "substitutes". We walked together through the library doors and greeted the librarian.

"Alright everyone, you know the drill. Get to work", she said.

She had been making us make posters for prom. Everyone had unique ideas, especially Lilith. Admittedly, her gloomy and morbid posters were a bit unorthodox but they were still very well done. I just did a simple white poster with black letters that said "Prom is da Bomb". I'm not a very creative person.

"Hey Newton. You plan on going to prom with anyone?", Lilith asked.

"I have few girls in mind", I lied.

"Hm. Doubt it"

"Are you a mind reader?"

"Oh come on Isaac. You're an open book"

"Yeah that's true"

"You and me could go together"

"What!", I said in shock.

"We go together every year anyway. What's the difference?"

'Oh she meant as friends….that's…...great', I thought. I was a little disappointed but I didn't know why. Me and Lilith have been best friends for years. Why did being friendzoned hurt my feelings so much? I should be used to that by now.

"I guess you're right"

"Cool. Just don't pick me up in a limo or anything okay Nygma"

"Okay I won't. Did you just say my name right?", I said laughing.

"I have no idea what you're talking about _Newton"_

She tried to keep a straight face but I saw a small smile trying to surface. We both went back to our projects and stayed in silence until the end of class. The bell rang and the rest of the kids rushed out of the library.

"Isaac can you come here for a second?", Erisabeth asked from her desk.

I walked over to her and leaned on the counter.

"What's up?"

"You know that she likes you right?"

"Who?"

"Lilith. That's why she asked you to prom"

"Me and her are just friends. I mean we go together, as friends, every year"

"Are you sure about that?"

With that she looked down at the book in her hands and left me with that last thought. 'She can't be right can she? Lilith doesn't have a sentimental bone in her body', I thought. Then I looked over and saw Axel rush in and hug her legs. She gave him a smile and picked him up. I got an idea then. It might not be a very good idea but it was an idea.

I saw the limo pull up outside, so I said bye to the others and hustled to the vehicle, eager to set my plan in motion. Mr. Wayne was in the limo, waiting for me.

"How was your day at school?"

"It was good. I have a date for prom"

"No kidding. Who's the lucky girl?"

"Lilith. I don't know if she likes me or what but hey at least I won't be going alone"

"Ah well, good luck with that"

I was silent for a while, trying to think about how to ask this question.

"Um Mr. Wayne, do you think that maybe Nightwing could show up for Axel's birthday tomorrow. I mean I know he is really Dick Grayson, the last of the Flying Graysons and Axel is just such a big fan of them. He grew up watching old VHS tapes of their performances"

"You know his real identity? How?"

"It's pretty obvious. He's an acrobat and even originally wore his old uniform. It's not hard to figure out"

"I guess that's true. What makes you think that I know Nightwing?", he said nervously.

"Well you're friends with Batman and Batman is friends with Nightwing so.."

"Oh right. Yep me and Batman sure are close"

"So?"

"Sure sure. I'll ask Batman to talk to Nightwing and see if he can make it to his party"

"Thanks Mr. Wayne"

He looked at me a little hurt and smiled sadly. "You know, you don't have to call me 'Mr. Wayne' right?"

"I'm not calling you dad"

"I don't expect you too. I'm not your dad. How about Bruce?"

"Okay. Thanks Bruce"

"You're welcome Isaac"

 **Later that night…**

 **Batman's POV:**

"You want me to do what?", Dick said.

"Perform at a child's birthday party"

"Do I look like a clown to you?"

"No. Which is good because Axel is afraid of clowns"

"Gee I wonder why"

"Look Dick, just do this for the kid okay. He needs a little sunshine in his life"

"Are you trying to guilt trip me?"

"Don't you remember when your parents died and you were left all alone"

"I'll take that as a yes. Ugh fine but only for the kid"

"Thank you Dick"

"Yeah yeah yeah. You owe me for this one old man"

He bounded away like the acrobat he was and left me alone on the roof of town hall. I knew Dick wasn't exactly happy that I had taken on another protègè. I saw a potential in Isaac that no one else saw, especially himself. I want to be the father figure that he needs in his life and I want to help awaken that potential. In time, I will tell him about my secret but not yet. I will tell him when he is ready.


	10. Circus

**Lilith's POV:**

Boys are really stupid. Isaac is really stupid. I guess it doesn't matter either way, we would still have gone together anyway regardless of circumstance. Isaac's been acting weird all day. I find myself hoping that I didn't scare away my only friend. That would be some cruel irony.

Today is my brother's birthday. The poor kid only asked for one thing for his birthday and it's the one thing I can't get him. He wanted the Flying Graysons for his birthday. I didn't have the heart to tell him that they were all dead. All except one, Dick Grayson. Of course he's too busy beating up my parents be able to show up so that is out of the question.

"So class can anyone tell me what coulrophobia is?", said Ms. Albright, snapping me out of my thoughts. I raised my hand with indifference. It was an easy question.

"Yes, Lilith?"

"The fear of clowns", I said, matter of factly.

'Her questions are always so trivial. Can she not give us a challenge?', I thought.

"Very good Lilith"

The bell gave a loud ring and the class empied. I walked down the hall to the library and was about to walk through the doors, when I heard a loud bang. I turned around and saw Isaac pushed against a locker...again. 'This boy is absolutely hopeless'.

"Hey Bo, do ya mind putting the nerd down? We have a class to get to"

"No thanks. I got to show this dweeb a lesson in manners"

"Are you really sure that you're the best candidate for that?"

"I don't know what candidtahooey means but I do know that you're really getting on my nerves, Stretch"

"Stretch?!"

"Yeah cause you're tall"

With all the strength I could, I shoved the bully onto the ground and kicked him where it hurts. He howled in pain and started crying.

"I think I'm gonna call you Infertile, because now you can't have kids anymore. Come on Isaac"

"Yes ma'am", he said a little timidly.

We walked into the library and sat down at one of the tables. Isaac just kinda stared at me with shock and awe in his eyes.

"What?"

"You are absolutely terrifying sometimes, you know that?", he said.

"Thanks", I gave him a rare smile and punched him in the shoulder.

We continued our projects and finished them before the bell rang. After class, we went our separate ways. He went to the limo waiting for him and I went home with Erisabeth, Axel, and Rose. It took a while to get used to not seeing him everyday but I've still got Axel and Rose to look out for.

For Axel's birthday party we set up blue streamers, balloons, and other decorations in the backyard. On a table was a double layered chocolate cake with blue icing and dark blue sprinkles. Erisabeth invited her friend Becky Albright, my psychology teacher. Unfortunately Becky decided to bring Alice Not-So-Pleasant so that's the downside. They showed up pretty soon with Isaac arriving right after.

"Hey Lil", he said with a big grin on his face.

"What did you do?"

"You'll see"

"That's ominous"

He darted away from me and went over to Axel and gave him a big hug before putting his present on the large table beside the cake table. Then we all gathered at the table with the cake and I picked Axel up so that he could blow out his candles.

"Make a wish Axel", I said.

He filled his little cheeks with as much air as he could and blew out a gust of wind which blew out the candles.

"What did you wish for?"

"I wished that every day could be like this one"

"You ain't seen nothing yet, kid", said a voice from above.

The former boy blunder in his traditional Flying Graysons attire lept from the roof of the house and landed with a backflip. Axel's eyes went wide and he darted out of my grip toward the man in blue spandex. I looked behind me at Isaac who gave me a grin. I smiled back gratefully. Axel asked question upon question. When he asked where the other Grayson's were, I gave Dick the signal that gestured that I would kill him if he told the truth.

"This has been the best birthday ever!", he yelled at the top of his lungs.

 ***In Arkham Asylum***

All of the rogues sat in the recreation room, watching TV, playing chess, and talking.

"Today is my son's 7th birthday", said Jonathan Crane.

"Congratulations mate", Jervis replied.

"Congrats", said Edward.

"They grow up so fast!", Harley squeaked before blowing her nose with a tissue, comically.

"They stop growing when they're dead y'know. Kids, ya gotta love 'em while they last. Hahahahahahaha!", a voice cackled from the shadows.

"Joker! What are you doing in here?! Aren't you supposed to be in solitary?!", said Jonathan.

"Yes well I managed to...convince the guards to let me in"

Suddenly, all the guards fell over dead with twisted grins on their features.

"I think I might pay a visit to the little tike. I know I wasn't invited to the party but it's sure to be a laugh"

"If you dare lay a hand on him, I will rip you apart and feed your body parts to my hyenas!", shouted Harley.

"How are you gonna do that if you're all locked up in here?"

The Joker's goons grabbed the rogues and dragged them to their cells. They kicked and screamed at the top of their lungs but it was useless.

"Besides, what's a birthday party without a clown? Hahahahahahahaha"


	11. Scars

**Lilith's POV:**

The party was a great success and thanks to Isaac, Axel got everything he wanted for his birthday. He may be an idiot but he's the nicest idiot that you'll ever meet.

"Lily! Look what Mr. Grayson taught me", Axel said, tugging on my shirt.

I turned around and watched as he finally did the backflip that he'd been trying to do. Everyone applauded at his performance and he bowed modestly.

"Thank you. Thank you. You've been a great audience!"

"Aww. Did is the show over all ready? Pity that I'm late. It seems that my invitation got lost in the mail", said a voice. Not just any voice, _that_ voice. The voice that I will never forget. Axel gave a noise of fright and hid behind my legs. The guests scurried away and Erisabeth's eyes darkened like they never have before.

"Joker!", I said. "What are you doing here?!"

"Y'know your dad said the exact same thing to me today. You're just like him aren't you? Daddy's little girl"

"Don't you talk about my father, clown"

"IT'S VERY RUDE TO INTERRUPT PEOPLE!", he screamed and grabbed my neck, stealing the oxygen from my lungs. I started to people myself losing consciousness when he let go suddenly.

"Now as I was saying, I wonder if the sac of meat hiding behind you is the same. Axel, do you mind coming out and saying a hello?"

Axel looked up at him before darting his eyes back to the ground and shaking his head.

"No? Oh what a shame. It seems we'll have to do things the hard way. Get 'em boys!"

A collection of thugs grabbed me and the others. With all of us restrained, the Joker latched onto Axel's tiny arm and dragged him away. Axel looked back at me with tears in his big blue eyes as he tried to pull out of his grip.

"Lily! Help me! Mommy! Daddy! Help!", he wailed.

Joker just laughed at his pleas. I felt tears sting my eyes as well and fought harder to free myself.

"Axel! Everything will be fine! I'll find you, I promise!"

A thug walked over to me and bashed me in the head with their gun, causing me to pass out.

' _I won't let anything happen to you'_

 **Flashback:**

"Father, what is that symbol in the sky", said a 10 year old Lilith.

"Lilith get away from the window please. Do you want me to go away again?"

She did as she was told and hopped down from the window sill.

"No, but what is it?"

"It's the bat-signal. The police use it to contact Batman"

"Why don't they just use a cell-phone?"

"Why don't you go to bed?"

"Touchè father, touchè"

Jonathan picked up his daughter and carried her to an old bed with black covers. Their "home" for the time being was an abandoned motel. Him and Harley had done everything they could to give Lilith a normal childhood, yet still felt inferior as parents. They were imprisoned every week and Lilith was often left alone. She also had no formal education.

After making sure that she was properly tucked in bed, Jonathan started off toward the door of the room. Before a little hand grabbed his long spider-like fingers.

"Father, I require a bedtime story before you leave"

"Lilith-"

"Please. I don't know if you'll come back this time. I get so scared when you leave"

"My child have I taught you nothing? The only thing there is to fear is fear itself. I shall read to you anyway though"

He pulled a copy of "The Pit and the Pendulum" from the shelf, sat in the chair beside the bed, and began to read.

The next morning Lilith awoke to her father shaking her awake.

"Lilith wake up. We have to go"

Her mother was standing by the door, hair tangled and messy, and makeup smudged from tears. Her clothes looked like they were barely put together and she was wrapped in a towel.

"Mother? I don't understand why are we leaving"

" _He_ found us. We were robbing a bank when him and thugs showed up. Apparently they had the same idea. He…..he hurt your mother Lilith. That's why we need to leave before he gets here"

The window was broken into with a crash and Batman tumbled into the room.

"You won't have to worry about that"

"No! Not you! Not now!"

"Better me than Joker. Just come quietly Crane. I'll make sure that Harley gets medical help and that Lilith is taken care of"

Jonathan looked from Harley to Lilith with sad eyes before sighing. He lifted his hands up to be handcuffed. The police and paramedics came in and as the paramedics rushed to help Harley, a cop grasped onto Lilith's arm and began to drag her away from the scene. She struggled and fought as tears fell down her face.

"No! Father! Mother! Don't let them take me! Please! Daddy! Mommy!"

Jonathan looked on as his world was taken away from him.

"I'm so sorry Lilith"

The drive in the police car was long and tiring, at leas for Lilith. They arrived at a large rustic building that looked like it was cut from a horror movie.

"This is your new home", said the police officer.

He signed her in with the manager of the group home, an evil looking man to match the house, Mr. Gobsby. They led her into a big open room with toys and tables. Kids were running all over the place and playing games.

"Why don't you go and make some friends? It'll be good for you to hang out with other kids", the cop said and left her in the room. Lilith didn't want friends though. All she wanted was her parents. The other kids were loud and obnoxious. She felt like she just didn't fit in. Then a boy with brown hair and big round glasses walked up to her and held out his hand.

"Hey my name is Isaac. My mom is Catwoman and my dad is the Riddler. Nice to meet you"

"I'm Lilith. My father is the Scarecrow and my mother is Harley Quinn. It is very unpleasant to meet you"

They became fast friends and had their own little corner of the room were none of the kids played, the reading area.

Days turned to months and nine months later she received a wonderful gift in the form of an infant with her hair and blue eyes, her little brother. The day he arrived she had rushed down the stairs and outside to the police car. The officer handed him to her and the once squealing babe, silenced when he was placed in her arms and gave her a big smile. It was _his_ smile.


	12. Stitches

**Erisabeth's POV:**

The Joker's goons dragged us to a warehouse by the docs. They tied each of us before leaving. 'What did that sadist even want with Axel anyway?'

"This is the second time that I've been kidnapped in my life! Why does this keep happening to me?!", screamed a very upset Alice.

"Oh shut up. You live in Gotham. Get used to it", I said.

"We're gonna die in here. He'll come back and kill us"

"I don't think you need to worry about that", stated Dick. He was freed from the ropes and was currently untying the kids. Soon he had us all untied.

"I'll contact Br-Batman and let him know what's going on"

"What's are we going to do? Axel is gone and we don't know where the Joker took him", Lilith said.

"Lil are you….scared?", Isaac said.

"My brother was kidnapped by a sociopath of course I'm scared!"

"Guys apparently we're not the only ones that Joker detained. He's taken over the asylum…..again and locked up all the rest of the inmates inside", Dick said.

Suddenly I got an idea. It was a terrible and wonderful idea at the same time. I didn't know if it would work but it was worth a try.

"Why don't we bust them out?"

"Are you crazy? Isn't one psychopath enough?"

"I'm not just going to sit here and wait for Batman to come save the day. These kids are my responsibility. Besides, we need backup for our rescue mission"

"Fine but this is still a bad idea. I'll take Becky and Alice home and then catch up with you later"

Me and the kids left the warehouse and started down the street. We managed to find a taxi who took us to the asylum. 'Was he not curious as to why we just walked out of an abandoned warehouse and asked him to take us to the asylum?'

Sure enough, when we got there it was guarded by lowlife scum of every caliber. There were too many people to fight our way in and it might be too dangerous to sneak in.

"Isaac, you're good at breaking into things. Do you have any ideas?"

"Well um….ya see there is a difference between a librarian's house and an asylum filled with criminals. The security system seems to be down so the only thing in our way is all of those buff burly men who look like they can kill me with their eyes"

"If the security systems are down, doesn't that mean that the cells aren't locked?", Lilith said in an annoyed voice.

With perfect timing the door of the asylum bust open and gas filled the yard, accompanied with vines twisting into the ground. The guards started screaming, clawing at their skin, and running away while some were attacked by the vines. Scarecrow and Ivy appeared through the gas followed by the Mad Hatter, the Riddler, and Harley who were wearing gas masks. They spotted us and rushed toward the gates.

"What are you doing here?", said Ivy.

"We came to bust you out. We need help if we're going to face to Joker and get Axel back", Lilith said.

"Joker took him? Do you know where they are?", Harley said.

"No. They weren't in the warehouse that we were tied up at. What does he want with him?", I responded.

"He wants to break his mind, to make Axel into him. I think I know where they are", said Jonathan.

"Where?", I asked.

"Ace Chemicals"

 **Meanwhile in the Ace Chemicals plant…..**

Axel sat in the floor of the plant with his head in his hands crying.

"Please let me go! I want to go home!"

"Now that's no way to talk to your father, is it Axel? Here, have a balloon", said the clown.

He held a blue balloon with a smile on it out for him to take.

"I don't want a balloon! I want my sister!"

The Joker tied the balloon to his wrist so tight that it could cut through skin.

"LOOK AT ME!", he shouted.

Axel only cowered more which angered him further. He crouched down on the floor, grabbed his chin, and made him look up.

"I wanted to do this the easy way, I really did. Since you're being difficult though, we'll have to do things the hard way. The hard way is so much more fun though…...for me at least"

He pulled a knife out of his pocket and slid the blade across his cheek, creating a cut. Axel squirmed and writhed as he did the same to the other cheek. Blood leaked from the cuts, mingling with his tears. Then the blade moved to his right arm and cut deep. Afterwards he set the knife down and picked up some black fishing wire and a needle.

"Hold still"

He began to stitch the cuts on his face and arm back together. When this was done, Axel looked like a doll that had been stitched together or perhaps like a scarecrow.

"Now, now you look like him. Is that what you wanted?"

He didn't say a word. It hurt to talk so he simply shook his head.

The doors of the plant burst open as the kids, the rogues, and Erisabeth entered the scene.

"Get your hands off of my brother you sadistic creep!", shouted Lilith.

He turned towards them, grinning erily.

"What are you gonna do, kill me?" He pulled out a gun and aimed it at Lilith.

"Oh not this again", said Rose. She gave a glance at her gloved hands before removing the gloves and closing her eyes. Without warning, plants shot out of the ground, through the metal and wrapped around the Joker. Her mother joined her and helped.

"I didn't know that you could do that", said Erisabeth.

Lilith darted over to a nearby wall where an axe was hanging, and ripped it from the wall. Swinging it back and forth in her hand, she walked toward the Joker. He cackled at her in his typical way. Then as she stood right in front of him, she raised in over her head and chopped away the plants that were wrapped around him. The others looked at her in shock.

"If we're gonna bring him down, we're gonna do it right", she said.

Isaac followed her lead and held out a pair of handcuffs that he brought from home.

"Joker, you're under arrest", he said, clasping the cuffs on his wrists.

Suddenly, his face contorted in pain. Axel had taken the knife that the Joker had left on the ground and stabbed him in the back. He then collapsed to the ground in tears.


	13. Epilogue

**Axel's POV:**

 **14 years later**

"And that's my story, ladies and gentlemen", I spoke to the large crowd before me.

I am the ringleader at my own gothic circus (clown free) with the stage-name "The Amazing Ace" and I had just finished reciting to them everything that you just read. The audience cheered and clapped. Dressed in my blue and gold ensemble with scars on my face and arms, I gave a bow.

"Now that I've told you my tale, it's time to begin. Grab your popcorn, settle in your chair, and prepare for a night you'll never forget!"

With my last word, a trapeze artist swung down and grabbed my hands, lifting me in the air with him. From the air I was flung onto a small platform on a pillar. I watched from above as the performers emerged. I spotted my family out of the corner of my eye and waved.

Lilith is a psychologist (shocking I know) and works at Arkham Asylum. Isaac is a crime scene investigator. They're actually married now and have a daughter named Abigail. Rose and Gigi work together, writing books. Gigi writes them and Rose illustrates them. Of course, I can't forget about Erisabeth. Without her, I wouldn't be here. I see her smiling face from the bleachers and think about how lucky I am. She still works at the high school and continues to help kids.

As the show came to a close and the tent emptied, I made my way down to where my family was waiting. Little Abby waddled over to me and held her arms out to me. I picked her up and cradled her in my arms. Rose jumped up and grabbed the top hat from my head, placing it on her own head.

"I'm so proud of you, brother", Lilith said.

If this were a movie, this would be the part where the scene would fade to black. However, this is not the end of our story, it is only the beginning. Though we all have our own share of **scars,** we have **stitches** to help us heal. Even through the **troubled** times we will never be **divided**.

Thank you for reading our story.

The End


End file.
